I will be part of a panel on Islam and Science Fiction at the Southwest Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association annual conference. The three of us will be discussing science fiction themes especially in the context of Islamic cosmological doctrines and beliefs. If you happen to be in Albuquerque then be sure to stop by at the conference. If there are any media queries then they can be directed to the following e-mail address: mahmad@cs.umn.edu

Conference February 8-11, 2012-Albuquerque, NM

Panelists

• Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad (University of Minnesota)
• D. Waheedah Bilal (Indiana University, Purdue University)
• Rebecca Hankins (Texas A & M University)

Panel Info: Science fiction and fantasy literature is experiencing a “revival” in modern day Muslim communities with Muslim and non Muslim writers use of the faith of over a billion adherents to enhance and often drive the narrative of their creative output.  Historically Muslims have had an impact on speculative fiction from the fantasy stories of the Arabian Nights to the time-travel stories of the 19th century Egyptian, al-Muwaylihi, to the obvious borrowing of Islamic themes by contemporary writers, movie scripts, and music. The Islamic advances in science created conditions that encouraged creativity and adventure; a belief in the dynamism of the universe arguably provided the incubation for early stories of time travel and outer body transport. The early interconnectedness of science fiction and fantasy to scientific inquiry in the Islamic world are similar to the elements that are spurring the revival of both areas in current societies.  This panel of presenters will explore the influence that Muslims and Islam has had in the past and continues to have on the current literary output in the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Africa.  The panelists will discuss the depiction of Muslims by non Muslims and Muslim writers of science fiction and fantasy, comics, manga, graphic novels, and other speculative fiction.

Panelists Bio:

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad:

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad is a researcher in Computational Social Sciences with emphasis on Behavioral Analytics, Gaming Analytics, Analysis of Clandestine Behaviors and networks. He is also the founder and editor of Islam and Science Fiction, a resource and an academic look on the representation of Muslims and Islam in Science Fiction and also Science Fiction written by Muslims on this subject. He also co-edited the first anthology of short Science Fiction stories with Muslim characters called A Mosque Amongst the Stars.

Rebecca Hankins:

Rebecca Hankins is an Associate Professor, certified archivist/librarian at Texas A&M University, College Station TX.  Her previous employment included 12 years as senior archivist at The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, the premier research repository on Africana historical documentation, and two years as Assistant Librarian at University of Arizona Library, Special Collection; Tucson, Arizona.  Her expertise includes building collections and scholarly resources for the study of the African Diaspora, Race & Ethnic Studies, and Arabic Language and Culture.  She has published in library, archival, and other peer-reviewed journals and her latest publication is on Islamic science fiction and fantasy in the international journal Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction out of the UK.

D. Waheedah Bilal:

D. Waheedah Bilal is an Assistant Librarian at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; she is new to the field of Islam and Science Fiction. Her interests include African American studies, women in Islam, and world literature. She will be discussing the image of Muslim women in Science Fiction.

As most “Star Wars” fans know, director George Lucas took spiritual elements, which are common in most major world religions to create his epic saga of good vs. evil.  As a Muslim, I always thought of the “Jedi” as what a true follower of Islam should be like.  Never mind the fact Jedi masters with their North African style cloaks and scruffy beards look like Sufi Sheikhs, but they way they are taught to respect a greater power, fight for the defense of the innocent and honor a code of morals and ethics in order to bring about peace and justice to their society, is basically what Islam teaches all Muslims to strive for.  So what really is the connection between these similar Islamic principles and the fictional “Jedi Order” of the Star Wars saga?

I decided to look into this question more deeply.  What I came across from my research off the internet and talking to other Muslim “Star Wars” fans was not only surprising, but also a bit scary.  For example it was reported in a National Australian magazine that more than 70,000 Australians identified their religion as Jedi, Jedi-Knight, or Jedi-related in the country’s 2001 national census!  Don’t these people realize that the “Jedi” are make-believe?  There may be some truth in fiction, but instead of looking for the truth, people get caught up with the fiction.  In this paper I hope to reveal where some of the truth of the “Jedi” and “Star Wars” comes from: Islam.

Back when “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” first came out, “The Muslim Magazine”  had some interesting pieces on the connections between Islam and the content of the Star Wars films. One was an interview with Dhul-Nun Owen who talks about how George Lucas had contacted members of the “Habibiyyah Sufi Order” in Berkeley, CA in order to do research for “Star Wars.” There was also a piece by Mahmoud Shelton about how Sufi ideas of spiritual chivalry (“futuwwat”) have parallels in the Jedi teachings.

Surfing the internet, I came across an interesting article entitled “Eternal Jihad: The Way of the Mystic-Warrior” from a Sufi website:

“We are at the core a Movement of Jedi; masters of Futuwwat (“the Way of the mystic-warrior”). We encourage adherents to train both physically AND spiritually, for their own personal edification and to enhance their knowledge and abilities in the STRUGGLE. The Real does not lie alone in contemplation, prayer and meditation; nor does it lie alone in action and revolution. Both of these are notions of “one or the other” and Allah is not “one or the other.” “Allah” literally means “the One[ness] which manifests from Nothing.” As we have stressed before, this “Nothing” is not the “lack” of all, but rather, it is Nothing in the sense of Totality of Being, which is symbolized by the numeral zero – this number itself originated with Sufis. Allah is neither the positive alone, nor the negative. Allah is the perfect balance between the two. The direct center of two polarities is always zero, Pure Nothing, from which the Totality, the Tawhid (Unity), the Oneness of ALL becomes manifest. For it is out of zero that all subsequent positive and negative numbers reel. That is Allah.”

Notice the Arabic term “al-Jeddi” (master of the mystic-warrior way) along with another Islamic term not mentioned, “Palawan” (similar to Lucas’ “Padwan” for Jedi apprentice) which were actual titles used by Muslim Knights!

The Force

“The Force” is the common thread between all six movies and is defined as an energy field, which binds all living things together  (i.e. Allah, God, a Supreme Being or Power that most religion’s adherents worship, follow and/or yearn to become a part of).  According to Star Wars mythology, the Jedi “are a noble order of protectors unified by their belief and observance of the Force.”

George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars films, has attributed the origins of “The Force” to the film 21-87 (dir. Arthur Lipsett) which used samples from many sources.”One of the audio sources Lipsett sampled for 21-87 [a film that had a great influence on Lucas] was a conversation between artificial intelligence pioneer Warren S. McCulloch and Roman Kroitor , a cinematographer who went on to develop IMAX. In the face of McCulloch’s arguments that living beings are nothing but highly complex machines, Kroitor insists that there is something more: ‘Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God.”

In Islam, Allah has no image, body or form that humans can imagine or even comprehend.  Allah is a supreme being of positive energy and goodness which was there before time (in the understanding of human beings), and will be there at the end of time.  According to the teachings of Islam, Allah blows his spirit into all living things and thus, we humans are inherently good in nature.  Because human beings have free will to do good or bad, we have the potential to be a medium of positive energy and goodness, or we can succumb to our animal desires (“Nafs” in Arabic) and suppress this inherent goodness we all have inside of us, to do evil instead. This is similar to the description of the Force given by Yoda in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”, where he says: “It’s [The Force] energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we…(Yoda pinches Luke’s shoulder)…not this crude matter [Flesh]. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you…me…the tree…the rock…everywhere!”

Apprenticeship

The “Jedi” study and train under the apprentice-master relationship similar to how many religious students study under a priest or religious scholar until they have learned enough to teach and train the next generation of students. From a Muslim perspective, the similarities between the Jedi and the Islamic traditions of instruction are strikingly similar.  For example a Muslim scholar usually trains under a Sheikh for a number of years before they are given the right or permission (“Ijazah” in Arabic) to professionally teach others about Islam.  “In Islamic Sufism Sheikhs will have “silsilas” that list the chain of teachers going back to the Prophet Muhammad (S). A “silisia” indicates a Sheikh’s lineage of mystical learning from which he draws his spiritual authority.”

Similarly in the “Jedi” tradition of Star Wars, each “Padwan” (apprentice) is taught the same tradition and skills their Jedi masters were taught by their previous masters.  “Star Wars” fans know the lineage of Jedi instruction starting from “Yoda” to “Count Dooku” to “Qui-Gon Jinn” to “Obi Wan Kenobi” to “Anakin Skywalker.”
In the first Star Wars movie, “Episode IV: A New Hope,” Luke Skywalker, like his father, Anakin, live in the desert (The desert planet of “Tatooine” was actually filmed near the real desert town of “Tataouine” in Tunisia).  From among this remote desert area with no roots of a civilized urban society, a “Chosen One” (i.e. a Prophet) arises who brings a hope of peace and justice to their society.  Anakin is the “chosen one” in the latest Star Wars films, and Luke can be considered the “chosen one” from the original Star Wars trilogy.

Similarly, the Prophet of Islam, lived in the desert where there was no true rule of law or justice and people followed the tribal system of blood vengeance.  Prophet Muhammad (S) brought Islam to the Arabs, which completely changed their way of thinking and the way they lived their lives.  Instead of living for the present and for themselves, as Muslims they live for the hereafter and are taught to take care of the poor, orphans, those less fortunate than themselves and to fight for social justice and well being for the whole community.

Thus the Jedi too is taught to be selfless and not selfish like the “Sith” (An ancient order of Force-practitioners devoted to the dark side and determined to destroy the Jedi).  Just as “Yoda” taught young “padwans” not to give into fear and be tempted by the “Dark Side” (i.e. temptations of the devil or “Shaytaan” in Arabic), Muslims are taught not to be attached to the “Dunya” (life in this world) nor to fall prey to the diseases of the heart (jealousy, envy, fear, hatred, etc.) as they lead to evil and sin.

As well known American Muslim scholar Shaykh Hamza Yusuf states: “Every criminal, miser, abuser, scoffer, embezzler, and hateful person does what he or she does because of a diseased heart. If hearts were sound, these actions would no longer be a reality. So if you want to change our world, do not begin by rectifying the outward. Instead, change the condition of the inward. Everything we see happening outside of us is in reality coming from the unseen world within. It is from the unseen world that the phenomenal world emerges, and it is from the -unseen realm of our hearts that all actions spring.”

The Green One

There is an interesting connection between the Jedi master “Yoda” (a short, green skinned creature first seen in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”) and Islamic traditions.  “Al-Khidr” means “the Green One” in Arabic. Qur’ânic commentators say that al-Khidr is one of the prophets; others refer to him simply as an angel who functions as a guide to those who seek God. And there are yet others who argue for his being a perfect wali meaning the one whom God has taken as a friend.

So in other words “Yoda” (which means “Wise One” in Hebrew) is like an angel or spiritual mentor who guides the young Jedi in the ways of the force and to be strong enough to resist the temptations and evil inclinations of the Sith and other Dark Forces.

In “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, the Emperor tries to influence Luke Skywalker to give into his feelings of Anger and Hatred (As we all know Luke’s father Anakin, did fall prey to the Emperor’s whispers and joined the Dark Side). Because the Jedi (as Muslim warriors) are taught that one’s intentions in battle must be pure and that it’s wrong to kill out of anger, even when is outwardly justified.

‘Ali (RA) the nephew of the Prophet Muhammad (S), was faced with this situation at the Battle of the Ditch, the noble Imam ‘Ali had knocked an enemy soldier to the ground and was raising his sword to kill him, when the unbeliever spat in his face. Imam ‘Ali at once stood still and refrained from killing his enemy. Hardly able to believe his own eyes, the unbeliever asked: “Why have you spared me, O gracious one?”

To this, the noble ‘Ali replied: “Your property and your life have become sacrosanct to me. I am not authorized to slay you. I can receive permission to kill only in holy combat, in fighting commanded by Allah. Just a few moments ago, I had overcome you in battle, knocked you to the ground and was on the point of slaying you. But when you spat in my face, my selfish anger was aroused against you. If I had killed you, I would have slain you not for Allah’s sake but for my own selfish reason; they would then have called me not a champion warrior, but a murderer. When you spat in my face, my selfish passion threatened to overwhelm me, so instead of striking you with the sword for my own sake I struck my passion for the sake of Allah, Exalted is He. There you have the reason for your escape.” The unbeliever was of course in awe by Ali’s noble character, and immediately accepted Islam and became Muslim.

Muh-Jedi-Deen

The Jedi could be considered “Holy Warriors” (or “Mujahideen” in Arabic) as they fight for truth, justice and peace.  They meditate (i.e. “Dhikr” – remembrance of Allah) as much as they can, to become “one with the force”, even in the midst of battle.  Just as in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, the Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn (The term “Jinn” in Islam is one of the forces of the “unseen”) begins to meditate in the middle of his battle with “Darth Maul”, while he waits for a force field to go down.

Islamic History is filled with stories of Muslim Warriors who also stop in the heat of the moment of battle to give their prayers to Allah.  Hussein (RA) the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S) stopped to do his Asr (mid-day prayers) at Karbala.  There is even an account of ‘Ali (RA), known as the “Sword of Light” (light-saber?),  who completed his “Salat” (Arabic for prayers) while he had an arrow stuck in his leg or foot!

“The lack of fear for death exhibited by Jedi Knights Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Luke Skywalker (particularly in Episode VI: “Return of the Jedi”) resembles the Muslim warrior’s creed that states that the Muslim loves death more than the un-believer loves life.”

Just as Jedi’s who fight and die in battle are still alive in spirit form, as evidenced with Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: A New Hope and the Phantom Menace, respectively, Muslim warriors who become Shaheed (Martyrs) are not considered dead.  As stated in the Holy Quran:

“And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: ‘They are dead.’  Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.  (The Noble Quran, 2:154)”

There are even accounts in Islamic history where noble and pious Muslims, speak to the living from the grave, similar to how Obi Wan Kenobi guides Luke Skywalker from the spirit world after his death.

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

“Zaid ibn Kharjah was one of the pious that talked after his death. When he died and was placed in his coffin, he started to talk and said: ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah and his name Ahmad was mentioned in the previous scriptures (Old Testament and New Testament); and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were two caliphs and now it is Usman’s Government. Four years have passed and there are two years to go and conflicts will come and Muslims will become weak.’ A lot of scholars verify this narration including Imam Bukhari and Imam al-Bayhaqi.3
There is another saying in Islam, which is “Life in this world is Paradise for the Un-believer and a Prison for the Believer.”  Some reasoning behind this saying is that if one puts all their faith in this world (the “Dunya”), then it is very easy to fall off the straight path and be tempted by Satan (i.e. fall prey to the “Dark Side”).
This is shown very clearly in “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” which is all about the Chosen One’s (Anakin) fall into the dark side.  Lucas, himself stated in an interview that the he chose the final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan to be on a planet with flowing molten lava and fire, which represents the fires of Hell.  The ultimate showdown between good and evil.

Anakin falls victim to the dark side because he loves power and the Dunya (as he wanted to have the power to live forever and save his loved ones from death – i.e. his wife from dying during childbirth).  He has excessive anger and arrogance (as he felt he was the most powerful Jedi and no other Jedi was better or stronger than him) and distrust for those who are his righteous guides (as he felt Obi-Wan was jealous of him and thought the Jedi Council was against him, which lead him to follow other sinister forces for guidance).  Lastly he had hatred in his heart (he admitted to hating the “sand people”)!9 Everything that Islam teaches the Muslim to avoid!

The Sand People

The “sand people” or the “Tusken Raiders” could be considered a metaphor of the Arabs and other people of the Middle East, since they live similarly to nomadic Arabs in the desert.  In “Episode II: Attack of the Clones”, the Tusken Raiders kidnap and torture Anakin’s mother, Shimi, which eventually leads to her death.  Anakin then proceeds to kill all the “sand people” in vengeance, and as he told “Padme,” that he “killed all of them [sand people], including the women and children.”  But this did not relieve him of his anger and hatred.

I believe Lucas was trying to make a point about the continuous spewing of hate and evil against the Arab and Muslim people, which has been continuing to get worse and worse in mainstream Television and Films out of Hollywood (i.e. “Executive Decision”, “True Lies”, “The Siege”, etc.) and of course after the attacks of September 11th, 2001 – the cat came out of the bag and many more films, television programs and radio shows started to generalize, stereotype and attack Arabs, Muslims and the religion of Islam. This lead to a lot of hate crimes against anyone that even looks like an Arab or Middle Eastern (including some Non-Muslim Hispanic and Latinos).  Many innocent people, specifically women and children, have been harassed, attacked and sometimes even killed, because of this hate.  CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) received 1,717 complaints of hate crimes and attacks on the civil rights of American Muslims within the first 6 months after Sept. 11th.

This wasn’t the only example of Lucas getting political, since after Episode III debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, many Europeans were saying that Anakin represents Bush and his Neo-Con cohorts currently in power.  One couldn’t help but notice the very overt examples in the last and final installment of the “Star Wars” series.

An example that sticks in my mind is when the Emperor was taking control of the Senate.  Senate Palpatine (aka the Emperor) was calling for war against the “separatists” (i.e. read as “insurgents”, “terrorists”, etc.) and the Jedi, all the while the whole Senate erupted in agreement.  Padme (aka Queen Amadala) then says “..So this is how Liberty ends, with thunderous applause”!

Of course the most obvious example was when Anakin tells Obi-Wan before their final duel, “Either you’re with me, or against me”, which is basically straight out of Bush’s mouth when he said “Either you’re with us [i.e. America], or you’re with the terrorists” immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11.

This reminds me of a very funny take on the whole Bush Inspired U.S. “War on Terror” transposed into “Star Wars” mythology I came across on the web.  Here is an excerpt:

It’s believed that Skywalker [Luke] was specifically trained by infamous terrorist O bin Wankanobi. Wankanobi, occasionally called “Ben” and easily recognized by his bearded visage and long, flowing robes, achieved near-martyr status among the Rebels after his death last year during a spy mission. His more fervent followers believe that Wankanobi lives on within them today, some even claiming to hear his voice during times of duress.

The attack on the Death Star came shortly after the Empire’s destruction of Alderstaan, a planet whose government was known to harbor terrorists. Responding to criticism over the total annihilation of the planet, [Darth] Vader stated, “There is no middle ground in the War on Terror. Those who harbor terrorists are terrorists themselves. Alderaan was issued ample warning. The fight for continuing Freedom is often burdened by terrible cost.”

In other words, the Emperor, Darth Vader and the Empire are equivalent to Bush and Company and Luke Skywalker, the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance are referred to as “terrorists” (or “separatists”, “insurgents”, etc.).

The Jedi Arts

The most popular aspects of the “Star Wars” films are the exciting light-saber duels and swordsmanship (Lucas is an admitted fan of old Samurai films) and martial arts style fighting (which of course originates from the East).  As a former student of “Eskrima Serrada” (Stick and Blade fighting developed by Muslims of the Philippines) myself, I see a lot of similarities in the fast-moving and short-range fighting I studied for about two years, and the “invented” art of the Jedi masters.
When Anakin fights Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) at the beginning of the last “Star Wars” film, at end of the fight, Anakin applies a disarm and cut that is a technique from Eskrima to Count Dooku’s arm. Going back into history, the technical differences between the Japanese/Chinese arts and the Muslim arts of Southeast Asia regions of Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia:  The Muslim arts of “Pentjak Silat” and Eskrima are based on paying attention to the Limb of the attacker and not an immediate strike to the attacker’s head or torso.

Ray Park, who plays “Darth Maul” in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, studied Kung Fu (very similar to the empty hand techniques of Serrada) and Wushu and frequently traveled to Malaysia (a Muslim country) to refine and develop his skills.
The spiritual basis of the Muslim arts of Southeast Asia is very immense. This is the
local Sufi expression of Islam, through martial arts practice, rather than through poetry or music as otherwise done in India and Turkey, etc. Traditional Indonesian/Malay folklore attributes initial design of these arts to Muslim saints in the region of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in the 7th Century. The Silat system is attributed to nine main Wali or saints, also called the Wali Songo in Indonesian language.

Here another example of the Sufi and Jedi connection.  As Jedi’s study the force and train in the “Jedi Arts” under the apprentice-master relationship, so do the Sufis.

“What I term the more Sufi exercises include breathing exercises, means of meditative contemplation, and physical exercises. This last activity is practiced within the Qadiri-Rifai Sufi order through the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat Gerakan Suci. Here is a prime example of the Order’s growth. Extending beyond its originally Turkish character, the Order has adopted a Muslim practice from a far corner of the Islamic world.”

Conclusion

From my brief amount of research and study into the “Star Wars” saga, I found many examples connecting the ideals and principles of Islam to that of the fictional Jedi Order.  Some of the similarities were clearly visible (as with the relations between the Jedi master, apprentice and the Force to that of the Sufi Sheikhs, students and worshipping of Allah), while others were a bit more hidden and surprising finds (such as the term “Jeddi” and “Palawan” for Muslim knights and the story of “al-Khidr” – the green spiritual guru which has an uncanny resemblance to the Jedi Spiritual master “Yoda”)!

Even though Lucas himself is not a follower of any specific religion, he has used elements of Islam (as well as other world religions) to convey the universal understandings of good and evil.  Combining that common thread of humanity with a futuristic space-age setting and exciting martial arts swordsmanship, came a creation that has inspired many, no matter their race, religion or culture.  There is something about the “Star Wars” saga that everyone can relate to and enjoy.  And I hope that those people who are searching for a “truth” within the mythology of “Star Wars”, will look a little deeper behind the fiction and find Al-Islam: A true way of life which emphasizes peace, justice and brotherhood for all humanity.

Author Bio: Irfan Rydhan is an Architectural designer by profession (B.A. Architecture, 1997 U.C. Berkeley), but a passionate enthusiast in media arts and activism. Irfan is currently serving as the Public Relations Director for Illume Magazine and has his own featured blog about Architecture, Islamic Art, Media Activism and Halal Food called: Al Mihrab: The Place of War (http://almihrab.wordpress.com)

Official Website: http://www.dootdootgarden.com/

(Image Source: WikiMedia)

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: What inspired you to write comics?

Craig Thompson: I grew up in a working class family with little access to arts or literature, other than the most accessible of visual mediums - the Sunday Funnies in the weekend newspaper. It was a religious household, so all the media were censored by my parents - movies, television, music - but comics, because they were “for children” were below the censorship radar, so it was the medium my little brother and I were able to access the most edgy storytelling. During adolescence, I fell out of love with comics. In a Biblical sense, I attempted to “put aside childish things”. But then found that comics was a medium that was growing up alongside me. When they imprinted on my childish self, comics were a form of escapism - of escaping the confines of my sheltered life. But as an adult, comics are a form of connection and interacting with the real world.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: Blankets is your well known work and is autobiographical in nature, what inspired you to write it?

Craig Thompson: Blankets, at first, was a reaction against the typical storytelling that comics were known for — the explosive fantasy epics that unfold and resolve in 24 pages. Instead, I wanted to make a huge comic book (almost 600 pages) where absolutely nothing happens. At least nothing explosive or epic. The drama is emotional and internal and the setting is the quiet, intimate space of a bed. That was my goal — to capture the experience of sharing a bed with someone for the first time. When I meditated on my own experiences, not only a coming-of-age high school romance, but the bed my little brother and I shared through early childhood, a narrative began to fall in place. The autobiographical elements emerged reluctantly, but gave BLANKETS the vital sense of authenticity and vulnerability.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: Who are your main influences, in your life as well as your work?

Craig Thompson: HABIBI, specifically, was influenced by Karen Armstrong’s incredible compendium of monotheism HISTORY OF GOD and Arundhati Roy’s examination of dams in India: POWER POLITICS. In life, I often look to my friend Pegi Christiansen as mentor. She was my English teacher in art school. I only stuck with art school for one semester before dropping out, but appropriately it was English class that inspired this cartoonist far more than any visual discipline. And just to round out all this feminine energy, I absorb a lot of motivation from my dear friend and peer - painter Dan Attoe. Dan and I have known each other since we were young, both guys from humble working class roots who went on to have careers in the arts - and his no nonsense attitude towards creativity has pushed me through some of my whiney, neurotic moments.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: What inspired you to write Habibi?

Craig Thompson: After BLANKETS, I was sick of drawing high school renditions of myself and mundane midwestern landscapes. I wanted to craft something outside of myself, something bigger than myself, and was considering two trajectories — the classic fantasy epic with dragons and elves and whatnot — or a nonfiction piece of political/social relevance like the comics journalism of Joe Sacco (FOOTNOTES IN GAZA). HABIBI ended up meeting in the middle. On a personal level, I’d always wanted to do a book about sexual trauma, and the characters of Dodola and Zam - two escaped child slaves - were the perfect roles to unravel this story. They arrived in my sketchbook almost fully realized - a gift - but I didn’t know what sort of world they inhabited. I found a home for them in the fantastical landscapes of A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS. I became excited for the latter as a fantasy genre (much like super heroes or crime noir, etc.) and savored the stories for their adventure and bawdiness and humor, but questioned whether these elements were intact from the original arabic folk tales or imposed by a British colonialist Richard Burton. At which point, I sought a deeper reading of these tales in the Islamic arts.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: What kind of background research did you do in writing Habibi?

Craig Thompson: The core of research around HABIBI was simply conversation. I must shamefully confess that before the book, I didn’t have any Muslim friends! Such is the limiting nature of social circles. But HABIBI motivated me to seek those connections/friendships and greatly enrich my life.  These meditation on Islam and the arabic language was born directly out of my new friendships, especially exploring the vivid connections with my Christian upbringing.  The visual fuel for HABIBI was from book reference - on calligraphy, ornamentation, geometric design, architecture - all these art forms that evolved so profoundly because of a supposed prohibition against representational imagery. Nothing in the book is specific to any geography or time period. Rather it borrows fast and loose from all over the world, Most of all with HABIBI, I trusted my imagination. The backdrop is a dreamscape. The story is a fairytale. The characters of Dodola and Zam are as I described, a gift, that arrived fully realized from outside of me, but that I felt a parental bond to - and a responsibility to explore their stories on paper.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: Arabic Calligraphy also features prominently in Habibi, what was your inspiration behind that?

Craig Thompson: Arabic calligraphy has been described as “music for the eyes” which sums it up perfectly. The cartoonist Chris Ware talks about comics as sheet music - because the reader needs to know how to interpret the symbols, like notation, to unlock the musicality of the page. Ware describes comics as “pictures you READ”. Whereas, calligraphy is words you LOOK at. You can savor arabic calligraphy for its surface aesthetics, as beautiful as any painting, and its fluidity. That fluidity is key. I have great envy of the arabic written language, because Romanized letters are so clunky and abstracted. The fluidity in a language must influence fluidity in culture and worldview. And this is the core thread in HABIBI - when the fluidity dries up or is blockaded - environmentally, emotionally, sexually, and spiritually - how to you restore that flow?

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: Is there a common thread between Blankets and Habibi?

Craig Thompson: Both books explore religion, spirituality and sexuality. BLANKETS is quiet sparse and breathable - like a stark Wisconsin snowscape - while HABIBI is dense and swirling and epic, like the Islamic arts it draws fuel from. BLANKETS has an innocence and naivety to it, while HABIBI is necessarily more dark and expansive - at times apocalyptic. But in any case, both books are love stories.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: Elements of Islamic art like Calligraphy and Geometric designs as well as the prophets permeate Habibi, and you have mentioned influence from Impressionists also. Have you looked into the work of the Muslim impressionist - Ivan Augeli?

Craig Thompson: Before you mentioned him, I hadn’t known of Aguéli. But I appreciate very much his paintings. A bigger influence, perhaps, is Kahlil Gibran, whose work also crosses over into multiple worlds. I love that he both wrote AND drew - like William Blake, but perhaps with more sensuality and poetry. Other influences are the calligraphy of Lassaâd Metou, the poetry of Nizar Kabbani, and the very accessible Sufi beauty of Rumi.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: How would you describe your experiences with Muslims in general? Did your interaction with Muslims changed some of the perceptions that you may have had before having Muslim friends.

Craig Thompson: It’s impossible to generalize any group of people, but the Muslims I know are generous and brilliant and fun. And I can only speak for my friends, but they’re far more open-minded and eager for dialogue than the religious communities (evangelical Christianity) I grew up in. It’s not that I had preconceptions or prejudices before, as much as I was socially-lazy. I already had an intimate group of peers, and was too sheltered to extend and diversify that social circle. Thankfully, creative projects have a way of piquing your curiosity and prompting you out of your established ruts.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: Do you have advice for people who would like to enter the domain of comics?

Craig Thompson: 1) It’s easiest if you can both write AND draw. For me, that’s what comics are, the synthesis of both disciplines. Many creators that went on to focus exclusively on writing initially drew their own work, like Alan Moore and Brian Michael Bendis. 2) Start with baby steps. First, a one page strip. Then a short story. Then a short “graphic novel”. Then a big 600 page book. But don’t leap into the latter first. 3) FINISH something. It’s the best way to learn - to see a project through to completion. It’s the only way the story can have a life OUTSIDE of you. And it’s also the only way you’re going to get a publisher to bother checking your work out.

M Aurangzeb Ahmad: You just came out with Habibi, what new projects await Craig Thompson in the future?

Craig Thompson: Finally returned home from two and half month long tour, and am just beginning to dig into three new projects. Each of them is entirely different from HABIBI and from each other. One is for all ages, including kids, a playful spaceship epic - an opportunity for me to have fun again and to speak to the child in me that first discovered the medium. The second project is not for children at all - it’s an erotic book. Because though BLANKETS and HABIBI both explore elements of sexuality, I’ve yet to do a book that is directly about sex. Finally, the third book is nonfiction, a long form essay of sorts. The comics medium has barely been tapped as a vehicle to delve into nonfiction topics, though Scott McCloud’s self-referential UNDERSTANDING COMICS is the best example I can think of.

Ibn Safi is the pen name of Asrar Ahmad (1928-1980) who was a legendary and prolific Urdu fiction writer from Pakistan. He is one of the better known Science Fiction writers of Urdu, although his mostly famous for writing crime fiction and spy novels. He mostly famous for his works Jasoosi Duniya (Spy World) and the Imran Series of novels. His works are well known in Pakistan, India and in some cases even Bangladesh.

Science Fiction Ideas in his Work

Here is an interesting incident that I came across regarding the role of Science in his work.

Once, pleading for the freedom of the novelist to imagine things that may seem far-fetched, he quoted a Russian newspaper which reported the Invention of a certain robot. This report appeared about seven or eight years after Ibne Safi himself first imagined such a machine in one of his novels. “What I am saying is not to suggest that the Russians lifted the idea from my book,” Ibne Safi wrote. “What I mean to say is that a single thought can find place at the same time in the mind of a storyteller and a scientist. The storyteller paints a pen picture whereas the scientist materializes it in the real world “

(Source: Khurram Ali Shafique The Herald, March 1998)

Science Fiction Novels

• پیاسا سمندر
• نیلے پرندے
• پرچھائیوں کے حملے
• پاگل کتے،
• ریشوں کی یلغار
• جنگل کی شہریت
• تین سنکی
• موت کی آندھی

Bayt City

HAQQ Superhero

Naji Abdullaah Perry (Lonnie Perry)

Background: Najiyah Diana Helwani is an American and is currently based in Syrian. She is the author of Sophia’s Journal: Time Warp 1857 - a time travel coming of age novel set in Kansas right before the Civil War. She has published a number of articles and pieces of poetry. Najiyah currently teaches English and writing in Damascus, Syria. When in the US she conducts workshops on Islam and the history of United States’ relations with the Middle East.

Official Site: http://najiyahhelwani.wordpress.com/

Aurangzeb: Your novel Sophia’s Journal: Time Warp 1857 is about Time Travel, can you tell us more about your work?
Najiyah: So far Sophia’s Journal is my only novel.  I have been blessed to have three short stories published - two at http://damazine.com and one in the anthology Many Voices, One Faith II. Link

Aurangzeb: What inspired you to write the novel?
Najiyah: I was teaching high school history at an Islamic school, and when we began to discuss studying slavery the kids were rather apathetic.  These were kids who knew a lot about current oppression, like the illegal occupation of Palestine, the struggles of the Kurds, Kashmiris and Chechens, but for some reason the oppression of the slaves here in the US didn’t strike an emotional chord with them.  They didn’t empathize.

Well, I had always been fascinated with both frontier life and the concept of slavery - how could people possibly think they had the right to own another human being like that?  So I took a young girl with 21st century sensibilities and sent her there to find out.  I hope Sophia’s adventure resonates with American Muslims and serves as an interesting and gentle introduction to Islam for non-Muslims.

Aurangzeb: What attracted you to Science Fiction in the first place?
Najiyah: Kurt Vonnegut!  Ray Bradbury! Anne McCaffrey!  My favorite way to start thinking about a story is, “What if…?” followed by some scenario of altered reality or perception.  Of course not all my what ifs make it to the page, but sometimes the little seed of a what if sprouts into the joy of a story.

Aurangzeb: What kind of themes inform your work?
Najiyah: I love to put characters into unusual circumstances and see how they respond and adapt, and it’s even better if the scenario has something to do with struggling against the evil one finds inside and outside oneself.  I am also fascinated with memory and identity.  For some reason those themes pop up a lot in my story ideas and writing.

Aurangzeb: Do you think there is a general lack of interest in Science Fiction in the Muslim community?
Najiyah: I think there’s a general lack of knowledge about what SciFi even IS!  And it’s so hard when we’re still battling some people who think fiction itself is haram or makruh.  In many parts of the Muslim world, reading for pleasure and insight is just not part of the culture, and among Western readers there is a prevailing suspicion that Islamic fiction is substandard.  So we have to raise awareness of the value of fiction itself and market well enough that readers begin to realize that we’re good writers as well as promote Islamic science fiction within the sci fi community.

Aurangzeb: Do you think that Muslims and Arabs type casted in Science Fiction stories in general?
Najiyah: It seems that in many cases the apocalyptic drama set as a battle between “Muslim Terrorists” and the sane world has replaced the exotic Eastern mystery of veiled women and sufis chanting in mosques.  What bothers me is when people write stories or movies that perpetuate historical and/or theological fallacies.  And when they represent the terrorists as mainstream Muslims.

Aurangzeb: What is your favorite Science Fiction author?
Najiyah: George Orwell and Douglas Adams.   And Kurt.  And Ray.  Do I have to choose?  I know I should be more up on current writers, especially Muslim ones!

Aurangzeb: Are you currently working on any novel or other piece of fiction?
Najiyah: Actually, I’m working on a non-fiction book that will contain first hand accounts of how families cope when one among them suffers from schizophrenia.  I also have written an outline for a novel that revolves around memory and self, but it’s set in Palestine and I can’t really sit down and write it until I visit there.  Which I’m hoping to do soon, insha’Allah.

Aurangzeb: Any advice to young and upcoming Muslim authors who might be interested in Science Fiction?
Najiyah: 1.  Make du’a every day.  Sincerely and in detail.  Make Allah your first writing partner.

2.  Read and read and read.  Use every book you read as research.  Try to notice and absorb literary techniques and devices, pay attention to a good writer’s sentence structure and sense of humor…all these things will help you in your own writing, but you have to read a lot and have passion for your reading and writing for them to osmosify into your brain.

2.  Network.  After du’a, networking is the single most effective and necessary tool in your arsenal - not just for marketing, but for writing support, camaraderie and commiserating as well.  Build relationships that can later blossom into collaborations and/or friendships.  Network with non-Muslims as well as Muslims, community activists as well as writers, young adult authors as well as sci fi authors.  Join online groups, writing critique groups (start one if there isn’t one), community improvement groups and knitting groups.  All the people you meet are potential readers, collaborators, advertisers and friends.

Background: In the current interview we are going to break with tradition somewhat and interview a Fantasy author. Irving Karchmar is an American Muslim convert and is also a darvish of the Nimatullahi Sufi. He is also the author of Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel. The novel revolves around the discovery of a ring by archaeologists which may be the ring of Soloman from which he commanded the loyalty of Jinns. Unable to solve the mystery through Science the archaeologists seek the help of a sufi master and they set off on a fantastic journey in the Sahara to solve the mysteries of the ring. The novel has garnered widespread acclaim and has been translated into at least 8 languages.

Master of the Jinn Website: http://www.masterofthejinn.com/

Aurangzeb: What attracted you to writing fiction in the first place?
Irving: I was not attracted to writing fiction, having written only poetry and articles before getting the idea for Master of the Jinn. The beginning and the end came to me fully formed during zekr, the Sufi meditation, and over the years as I filled in the middle story, I came to the inescapable conclusion that the book was writing me.

Aurangzeb: What are the main themes that inform your work, Master of the Jinn?
Irving: Master of the Jinn is really a Sufi novel, and so the main theme is the Sufi path of Love. The story and characters, by expressing through their words and deeds the courtesy, manners, and loving-kindness of the Path, drive the narrative.  Of course, since it also involves the Jinn, those legendary creatures of living fire that have been a part of Arabian myth since pre-Islamic times, there is a fantasy component to it.

Aurangzeb: Are you currently writing or planning to write more novels?
Irving: I am currently working on the sequel to Master of the Jinn, entitled Tale of the Jinn, which will continue the story of the main characters and also present the unknown cosmology of the Jinn race.  I am also working on two non-fiction books which I cannot discuss yet.

Aurangzeb: Any thoughts on the connection between Science Fiction and Fantasy?
Irving: I was at one time the publisher and editor of Fantastic Films magazine, which covered Science Fiction and Fantasy films and television, and have come to think that Science Fiction and Fantasy, though they are often grouped together, are two distinct literary forms that may often have the same audience.  Good Science Fiction is not fantasy, and good fantasy is not Science Fiction.

Aurangzeb: Any possible foray into Science Fiction by Irving Karchmar?
Irving: Possibly, as I have been considering a First Contact type of novel and may write it eventually.

Aurangzeb: Do you have any favorite Science Fiction author or a favorite novel that you would like to share?
Irving: Indeed!  My favorite Science Fiction author is Frank Herbert, the brilliant creator of the Dune series of books. He really is a first rate writer, as well as having a unique and fertile scientific mind for both science and fiction.  And of course, J.R.R. Tolkien is unsurpassable in fantasy literature, and its Sword and Sorcery sub-category.  Between those two, I am particularly fond of Robert Heinlein and his Lazarus Long books, as well as Stranger in a Strange Land. They are books that I reread every few years, which is the mark of a favorite.

Aurangzeb: Do you think the current political climate effected portrayal of Muslims in fiction?
Irving: Of course! How could it not?  Even before 9/11, the only portrayals of Muslims in books and films were mostly of the Palestinian terrorist type, or Arabic or Iranian men who married Western women and ran off with their children to Muslim countries. Until there are positive portrayals of Muslim heroes in fiction, both novels and films, there will only be the Western notion of Muslims as either terrorists or abused hijabis.  And it is up to the Muslim author to write the novels and stories that portray Muslims and Islamic culture in a positive light, without the bigoted nonsense of Holocaust denial, or Jewish and Christian Crusader conspiracy theories.

Aurangzeb: What advice do you have for young and burgeoning Muslim authors who may be interested in writing Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Irving: My only advice is to write what you know, and for Muslim authors it would be to write from an Islamic viewpoint, and to not try and emulate Western thinking and writing styles.  The Muslim voice is unique in the world, and so should it be written. Science Fiction has few interesting Muslim characters, besides the Fremen of Dune.  That is unfortunate, but testifies to the fact that Muslims consider fiction, whether Science Fiction of fantasy, as a form of lying, and so have no history of writing fiction. That has always struck me as ridiculous considering the vast history of Islamic storytellers, from the Arabian Nights to the Sufi teaching tales. Inshallah, it is slowly changing, thanks in part to such organizations as the Islamic Writers Alliance.  I would recommend any Muslim author to join it and not be discouraged by the lack of Muslim publishing companies or Muslim literary agencies. Those too will come in time.  And I would add that Master of the Jinn has been translated and published in many languages, all through my own efforts in online marketing and networking, and you can do it too.  Never despair, and trust in Allah, and the way will be made clear in His good time.

Background: Amal El-Mohtar is an Arab Canadian autor, poet and fiction writer. Her poetry has won the Rhysling award, and her fiction has appeared in Cabinet des Fées and Shimmer. While her primary focus is on the fantasy genre, she has also published in the Apex Magazine’s special issue on Muslims and Arabs in Science Fiction. She is currently pursuing a PhD in English at the Cornwall campus of the University of Exeter. She also co-edits Goblin Fruit, an online quarterly devoted to poetry of the fantastic with Jessica Paige Wick.

Site: http://tithenai.livejournal.com/

Aurangzeb: Your story “And Their Lips Rang with the Sun” has some underlying themes about the Arabic alphabet, can you tell us about the main idea of the story?
Amal: Certainly. When I was little, my father taught me that the Arabic alphabet was divided into Sun letters and Moon letters, which I found fascinating; I loved the idea of the Sun and Moon participating in the construction of language, and the idea that letters could have loyalties to one or the other. It felt like this language in which I was being instructed was itself built of stories – a medium made up of messages.
What was even more fascinating to me was that the Sun in Arabic is a feminine noun, and the Moon is masculine – but nevertheless, the Sun letters are the strong, assertive sounds, while the Moon letters were the soft, yielding ones. I thought, look, here is the Arabic alphabet teaching me that women can be powerful and loud while men can be gentle and quiet. I thought, take that, stereotypes! My language inverts traditional gender binaries!

I didn’t realise, when I started writing a story about sun-dancers who raise the morning, that I was also writing a story about the alphabet – but there it is. My childhood finds its way into many unusual places.

Aurangzeb: What attracted you to writing science fiction in the first place?
Amal: It’s what I’ve always loved to read, though I don’t think I’ve yet written something that qualifies as SF per se; my writing is more grounded in myth and fantasy. That said, I am currently working on a story about sentient diamond oceans on Neptune, so I’m hoping to stretch those SF muscles somewhat. It’s just that science is a language in and of itself, and I don’t feel as fluent in it as I need to be yet to produce quality writing, while fantasy is my mother tongue.

Aurangzeb: What are the main themes that inform your work?
Amal: The last two years have taught me a great deal about marginalized and silenced voices, and I want my work to always challenge those doing the marginalizing and showcase the dispossessed, whether I’m writing about alphabets or diamond oceans or book-women or singing fish.

Aurangzeb: What are your main literary influences?
Amal: I think everything I read and enjoy influences me to a certain degree and makes me want to step up my writing game. 

Aurangzeb: Can you tell us about your other literary endeavors?
Amal: With pleasure! I co-edit Goblin Fruit, an online quarterly dedicated to fantastical poetry; I have a story forthcoming in Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities next year, as well as a poem in Ellen Kushner and Holly Black’s Welcome to Bordertown; a story of mine appeared in the November issue of Apex, and another is forthcoming in Steam-Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories later in January.

Aurangzeb: Do you think the current political climate affected portrayal of Arabs and Muslims in science fiction?
Amal: Well, it’s certainly affected portrayals of Arabs and Muslims everywhere else. But yes – I think of the blatant racism and cultural appropriation in Bill Willingham’s Fables, of the synonymity of “terrorist” and “Arab,” of the fact that I still haven’t seen Iron Man and am unlikely to, because the trailers have me convinced that I will be mightily pissed off by the representation of Arabs therein, and I prefer not to pay for the experience of being frustrated. I am, however, fortunate enough to be surrounded by enough thoughtful, intelligent writers and artists that the negative portrayals get filtered out, and I can instead see the tremendous effort put out by people of good conscience to counter them. As a result we get people like Catherynne Valente editing an Arab/Muslim issue of Apex in response to Elizabeth Moon’s anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim nonsense, C.S.E. Cooney and John O’Neill of Black Gate offering me space to interview Saladin Ahmed on their blog [http://www.blackgate.com/2010/11/17/fantasy-the-middle-east-and-a-conversation-with-saladin-ahmed/], and Wiscon offering new scholarships in order to make it possible for more Muslims and people of Arab descent to attend the convention. Ultimately I’d rather focus on the positive. 

Aurangzeb: You are currently pursuing a PhD, can you tell us about your area of interest?
Amal: I’m writing about representations of fairies and other supernatural creatures in Romantic-era British writing, exploring the ways in which those representations intersect with constructions of national identity.

Aurangzeb: What advice do you have for young and burgeoning authors who may be interested in writing Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Amal: Read widely, but don’t feel you need to write what you read. Don’t be afraid to read critically, and to explore why an aspect of a novel you loved makes you uncomfortable; let that discomfort, as well as that love, lead you to write more.

Background: The people who have been interviewed by Islam and Sci-Fi have been Science Fiction authors. This time we are breaking with tradition and interviewing an educator, Yahya Emerick, who has a keen interest in Science fiction. My main motivation is to get some idea about how Science Fiction is received in the wider Muslim community. Yahiya Emerick is an educator and author. He has written a number of youth chapter-style adventure novels: Ahmad Deen and the Curse of the Aztec Warrior, Finders Keepers and Other Stories, The Seafaring Beggar and Other Tales, Ahmad Deen and the Jinn at Shaolin, Layla Deen and the Case of the Ramadan Rogue, Isabella: A Girl of Muslim Spain.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: You have written about your love for science fiction and the importance of Science in your writings. What role do you think Science Fiction can have in a community?
Yahya Emerick: The importance of imagination can never be underestimated.  When one imagines a future world, they can begin to take actions today that will help bring their vision into reality.  Science fiction writers imagined such things as space travel, lasers, rocket engines and a hundred other things before they were ever invented.  These musings on their part gave a blue print for later generations to follow in their inventing and exploration.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: Do you think there is a general lack of interest in Science Fiction in the Muslim community?
Yahya Emerick: Not to sound alarmist, but it has been my experience that any type of fiction in general has had a hard time opening the door in most Muslim homes in the Western world.  This is ironic given that Muslim immigrants come from cultures that are rich in folklore, mythology and the ever-present ‘jinn stories’ which could easily be transformed into a love for alien stories!  I’ve known the odd Muslim kid here and there who likes sci-fi/fantasy, but there’s not been any real groundswell of interest there.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: As an educator what measures would you recommend in encouraging interest in Science Fiction in the Muslim community?
Yahya Emerick: English class needs to broaden its horizons in reading selections.  I’m sorry to say it, but the mainstream English Language Arts textbooks that most Muslim schools use are so sanitized by the publishers to avoid offending anyone that the stories are truly dull and without imagination.  Muslim teachers can bring in sci-fi/fantasy and find a greater interest in reading.  Afterall, most kids prefer such stories because it makes them think and presents an alter-world to imagine.  That’s why Harry Potter, the Twilight Series and a hundred others of the same type always dominate the book and movie markets.  At home, Muslim parents can keep some Asimov or Arthur C. Clark stories around, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: Amongst the Muslim youth one does find many enthusiasts of science fiction but not enough people who produce science fiction. What factors do you ascribe to this producer vs. consumer effect?
Yahya Emerick: Obviously, there are no producers of science fiction directed at a Muslim audience.  It’s not really important, of course, because space ships are space ships, but I’ve found it interesting if a Muslim character pops up now and again.  The “Pitch Black” series had references to positive Muslim characters, and there was a two-book series published about 20 years ago that envisioned a future space age dominated by Muslims.  Funny thing is, that series went out of print and literally disappeared.  (Crescent in the Sky was the title of one of those books.)

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: Do you think that Muslims and Arabs type casted in Science Fiction stories in general?
Yahya Emerick: I think that Muslims and Arabs are non-existent in science fiction stories, save for the couple I mentioned above.  Muslim/Arab-type characters appear in fantasy stories more often though, such as in video games or movies.  (Drakensang, the game has a playable Muslim character.  The Prince of Persia or even the Mummy have Arabesque-like cameos.)

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: Has the current political climate effected portrayal of Muslims in Science Fiction?
Yahya Emerick: In action movies and books, the Muslims were always the bad guys.  But I’ve found that in fantasy portrayals they are presented in more ambiguous roles.  (Think of the Arab character on ‘Lost.’)

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: Who is your favorite Science Fiction author?
Yahya Emerick: I like several of both the Sci-fi and Fantasy genres.  I like Asimov, Donaldson with his Ill-Earth series, Clifford Simak, Arthur C. Clark, Micheal Moorcock, Paul Anderson and almost all Star Wars books.

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: What advice do you have you young and burgeoning Muslim authors who may be interested in writing Science Fiction or even other literary endeavors?
Yahya Emerick: I forget her name, but the world’s best selling Romance genre author was asked this question, and she said the secret to her success was simple: Sitting in your writing chair and producing.  So let’s get to it!  Take hold of your passion and get that word processor in motion.